Notice2023-09581
Notice of Inventory Completion: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District, Mobile, AL
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
May 5, 2023
Issuing agencies
Interior DepartmentNational Park Service
Abstract
In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District, has completed an inventory of human remains and associated funerary objects and has determined that there is a cultural affiliation between the human remains and associated funerary objects and Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations in this notice. The human remains and associated funerary objects were removed from Lowndes and Monroe Counties, MS.
Full Text
<html>
<head>
<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 87 (Friday, May 5, 2023)</title>
</head>
<body><pre>
[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 87 (Friday, May 5, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 29160-29161]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-09581]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0035777; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]
Notice of Inventory Completion: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,
Mobile District, Mobile, AL
AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and
Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile
District, has completed an inventory of human remains and associated
funerary objects and has determined that there is a cultural
affiliation between the human remains and associated funerary objects
and Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations in this notice. The
human remains and associated funerary objects were removed from Lowndes
and Monroe Counties, MS.
DATES: Repatriation of the human remains and associated funerary
objects in this notice may occur on or after June 5, 2023.
ADDRESSES: Ms. Alexandria Smith, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile
District, 109 St. Joseph Street, P.O. Box 2288, Mobile, AL 36628-0001,
telephone (251) 690-2728, email <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#71301d1409101f150318105f3f5f221c1805193104021012145f10031c085f1c181d"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="90d1fcf5e8f1fef4e2f9f1bedebec3fdf9e4f8d0e5e3f1f3f5bef1e2fde9befdf9fc">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This notice is published as part of the
National Park Service's administrative responsibilities under NAGPRA.
The determinations in this notice are the sole responsibility of the
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District. The National Park
Service is not responsible for the determinations in this notice.
Additional information on the determinations in this notice, including
the results of consultation, can be found in the inventory or related
records held by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District.
Description
Human remains representing, at minimum, one individual were removed
from Lowndes County, MS. One of several sites identified during early
mitigation measures for the prospective Tennessee Tombigbee Waterway,
site 22LO553 (unnamed) was excavated between December 1978 and May 1979
under the direction of Judith A. Bense. No further work was ever
conducted. The age and sex of the individual are undetermined. No known
individual was identified. The 10 associated funerary objects are one
lot consisting of lithics, six lots consisting of ceramics, two lots
consisting of unmodified stones, and one lot consisting of shells.
Human remains representing, at minimum, two individuals were
removed from Lowndes County, MS. The Barnes Mound (22LO564) likely was
a seasonal occupation site from the Early or Middle Archaic to the
Middle and Late Woodland periods. It was excavated by the Mississippi
State University Department of Anthropology under principal
investigator James R. Atkinson and field director G. Gerald Berry
during July 6-24, 1974. The age and sex of the individuals are
undetermined. No known individuals were identified. The four associated
funerary objects are two lots consisting of soil samples, one lot
consisting of lithics, and one lot consisting of ceramics.
Human remains representing, at minimum, 21 individuals were removed
from Lowndes County, MS. The Cofferdam site (22LO599) is an Early-Late
Woodland occupation featuring some Miller II components. Cofferdam was
identified by Army Corps of Engineers personnel during the excavation
of the cofferdam for the Columbus Lock and Dam of the Tennessee-
Tombigbee Waterway, and it was excavated by the Mississippi State
University Department of Anthropology under the direction of James R.
Atkinson and field crew chief G. Gerald Berry during August-October of
1975. The age and sex of the individuals are undetermined. No known
individuals were identified. The 221 associated funerary objects are
one lot consisting of mixed soil and fill, seven lots consisting of
unmodified rocks, 37 lots consisting of lithics, 15 lots consisting of
pebbles, seven lots consisting of groundstone fragments, 36 lots
consisting of ceramics, 24 lots consisting of shells, 33 lots
consisting of faunal remains, two lots consisting of clay balls, 12
lots consisting of flotation samples, eight lots consisting of
projectile points, two lots consisting of charcoal, one lot consisting
of stone cores, one lot consisting of fragmented turtle shell rattles,
one lot consisting of pebbles, seven lots consisting of sandstone,
three lots consisting of burned wood, two lots consisting of matrix
with unidentified fill, six lots consisting of clay, four lots
consisting of daub, four lots consisting of unscreened mixed materials,
one lot consisting of grog tempered pipe bowls, two lots consisting of
firecracked rock, two lots consisting of gravel/concretion, one lot
consisting of petrified wood, one lot consisting of nutshells, and one
lot consisting of shell gorgets.
Human remains representing, at minimum, four individuals were
removed from Lowndes County, MS. The River Cut site (22LO860) is a
small village containing Woodland and Mississippian components as well
as Miller III, with some signs of possible Miller II habitation. The
site was reported to the USACE, Mobile District, in 1983. Following
salvage of a burial from an eroding bank in 1984, the site was
excavated by the Cobb Institute of Archaeology, Mississippi State
University, under principal investigator Janet Rafferty, with Mary
Evelyn Starr, during December 29-30, 1985 and July 23-September 29,
1986. The age and sex of the individuals are undetermined. No known
individuals were identified. The 14 associated funerary objects are
four lots consisting of ceramics, five lots consisting of lithics, four
lots consisting of projectile point fragments, and one lot consisting
of sandstone.
Human remains representing, at minimum, one individual were removed
from Monroe County, MS. One of several sites identified during early
[[Page 29161]]
mitigation measures for the prospective Tennessee Tombigbee Waterway,
the New Hamilton site (22MO548) was excavated between December of 1978
and May of 1979 under the direction of Judith A. Bense. No further work
was ever conducted. The age and sex of the individual are undetermined.
No known individual was identified. The 41 associated funerary objects
are eight lots consisting of shells, six lots consisting of ceramics,
one lot consisting of cobbles, one lot consisting of botanical remains,
eight lots consisting of lithics, five lots consisting of faunal
remains, six lots consisting of soil samples, one lot consisting of
sandstone, one lot consisting of rock fill, one lot consisting of
modified bones, one lot consisting of pebbles, one lot consisting of
conch shell dippers, and one lot consisting of copper flakes.
Human remains representing, at minimum, two individuals were
removed from Monroe County, MS. One of several sites identified during
early mitigation measures for the prospective Tennessee Tombigbee
Waterway, the SW Amory site (22MO710) was excavated between December of
1978 and May of 1979 under the direction of Judith A. Bense. No further
work was ever conducted. The age and sex of the individuals are
undetermined. No known individuals were identified. The 58 associated
funerary objects are 13 lots consisting of lithics, nine lots
consisting of ceramics, four lots consisting of faunal remains, five
lots consisting of soil samples, one lot consisting of glass, eight
lots consisting of clay, four lots consisting of unmodified stones,
three lots consisting of mixed samples, two lots consisting of ferrous
sandstone, two lots consisting of firecracked rocks, one lot consisting
of projectile points, three lots consisting of sandstone, one lot
consisting of groundstone, one lot consisting of shark tooth fragments,
and one lot consisting of plant materials.
Human remains representing, at minimum, one individual were removed
from Monroe County, MS. The East Aberdeen site (22MO819), located
during the 1976 survey, was a prehistoric midden with some historical,
nineteenth and twentieth century components. The site was excavated
from June 1 to September 29, 1978, by co-principal investigators Janet
E. Rafferty and B. Lea Baker. The age and sex of the individual are
undetermined. No known individual was identified. The 13 associated
funerary objects are two lots consisting of lithics, two lots
consisting of faunal remains, two lots consisting of charcoal, two lots
consisting of clay, two lots consisting of gravel, one lot consisting
of botanical materials, one float sample, and one lot consisting of
sandstone.
Cultural Affiliation
The human remains and associated funerary objects in this notice
are connected to one or more identifiable earlier groups, tribes,
peoples, or cultures. There is a relationship of shared group identity
between the identifiable earlier groups, tribes, peoples, or cultures
and one or more Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations. The
following types of information were used to reasonably trace the
relationship: archeological, geographical, historical, other relevant
information, and expert opinion.
Determinations
Pursuant to NAGPRA and its implementing regulations, and after
consultation with the appropriate Indian Tribes and Native Hawaiian
organizations, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District has
determined that:
<bullet> The human remains described in this notice represent the
physical remains of 32 individuals of Native American ancestry.
<bullet> The 361 objects described in this notice are reasonably
believed to have been placed with or near individual human remains at
the time of death or later as part of the death rite or ceremony.
<bullet> There is a relationship of shared group identity that can
be reasonably traced between the human remains and associated funerary
objects described in this notice and The Chickasaw Nation.
Requests for Repatriation
Written requests for repatriation of the human remains and
associated funerary objects in this notice must be sent to the
Responsible Official identified in ADDRESSES. Requests for repatriation
may be submitted by:
1. Any one or more of the Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian
organizations identified in this notice.
2. Any lineal descendant, Indian Tribe, or Native Hawaiian
organization not identified in this notice who shows, by a
preponderance of the evidence, that the requestor is a lineal
descendant or a culturally affiliated Indian Tribe or Native Hawaiian
organization.
Repatriation of the human remains and associated funerary objects
in this notice to a requestor may occur on or after June 5, 2023. If
competing requests for repatriation are received, the U.S. Army Corps
of Engineers, Mobile District, must determine the most appropriate
requestor prior to repatriation. Requests for joint repatriation of the
human remains and associated funerary objects are considered a single
request and not competing requests. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,
Mobile District, is responsible for sending a copy of this notice to
the Indian Tribe identified in this notice.
Authority: Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act,
25 U.S.C. 3003, and the implementing regulations, 43 CFR 10.9, 10.10,
and 10.14.
Dated: April 25, 2023.
Melanie O'Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2023-09581 Filed 5-4-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-52-P
</pre><script data-cfasync="false" src="/cdn-cgi/scripts/5c5dd728/cloudflare-static/email-decode.min.js"></script></body>
</html>Indexed from Federal Register on May 5, 2023.
This is legal information, not legal advice. Laws vary by jurisdiction and change frequently. Always verify current law with official sources and consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction for advice on your specific situation.